Fabrizio Romano offers latest update on Liverpool star's contract situation

Fabrizio Romano has offered a contract update on Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold as we enter a crucial period.

It is now less than 100 days until the right-back can agree a pre-contract with another club with his deal set to expire next summer. A player of his calibre leaving for nothing would be the ultimate failure from Liverpool’s standpoint and fans are patiently waiting for some positive news to emerge surrounding one of their favourite players.

Both Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are at risk of leaving as well but, with Alexander-Arnold being an academy graduate and younger than the duo, he is the key man to tie down for the present and future. If not, they could be in danger of losing him for free, likely to Real Madrid.

In his Daily Briefing on Wednesday morning, Romano wrote that Real Madrid ‘really like’ the 25-year-old and are continuing to monitor him. However, the journalist stated that ‘the priority for Trent is Liverpool’ and, in response to the England international’s aforementioned comments, said: ‘Trent will keep discussing things with Liverpool about the project, about the idea they have and about what they want to do at the club for the next years’.

BBC Five Live’s ‘The Monday Night Club’ podcast panel discussed the future of the defender with former Premier League players Chris Sutton and Andros Townsend claiming that it would be difficult to turn down the Spanish champions. "There's a reason why he's running his contract down and he has to defend himself and say his contract previous to this have been done in private and that's the way I've handled things in the past.

"But, it's unusual for a club of Liverpool's size for what he's done there, for him to be in the last year of his contract. It's different for Mo Salah and Virgil Van Dijk because they're in their 30s. For Trent Alexander-Arnold, this shouldn't be happening and how many clubs out there are bigger than Real Madrid?"

Former Everton and Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend added: "I don't think he necessarily wants to leave Liverpool or he's searching to leave Liverpool, but Real Madrid is Real Madrid. If there's interest from Real Madrid, I don't think as a player you can turn that down. He can't really say no to Real Madrid." He also praised him as being a far better than defender than he is given credit for.